On Thu, Dec 02, 2004 at 05:56:03PM +0100, Esben Stien wrote: > Alfons Adriaensen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > > > For the same reasons, there would be no need to upgrade your Linux > > version, and you don't need driver updates. The current closed-source > > driver will still work in 5 years. > > Now, you're twisting everything to fit a twisted view. Software is > changed much more often than hardware.
Yes. And you can't expect a manufacturer of a e.g. soundcard to update all drivers each time you or any other customer decide to upgrade his system. If *you* modify your system and thereby make an existing driver useless, then it's up to *you* to find a solution, maybe by providing a compatibility interface in your new system. You can't expect others to pay for the consequences of your decisions. A manufacturer will adapt to a new system if that is in his interest, otherwise not. I work in space telecoms. Some of the systems we deliver we have to keep operational (by contract) for sometimes up to 15 years. I can assure you this is *extremely* expensive, and of course the customer has to pay for it. In one case we had to put all sources, hardware design files, all tools, the operating systems, licences and computers required to run them in escrow at a third party, to be released to the customer in case we would no longer support him. Any idea how much he payed for that ? -- FA
